Canada's official motto, "from sea to sea," was lifted from Psalm 72. When adopted in 1921, it no doubt reflected the country's pride in having Canada stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. More basic, however, was the desire to have the motto reflect the kind of country Canada is to be.

In his 1965 classic book Lament for a Nation, philosopher George Grant mourned the death of Canada as a sovereign state. With the hindsight of 41 years, it might seem that Grant was hasty in his judgment. Canada, after all, is still alive and kicking. Our athletes even won 24 medals at the Winter Olympics, Canada's highest total ever!